Blood, sweat and tears. As cliche as the phrase has become, it perfectly described the Utah All-Star Classic wrestling tournament at Utah Valley University on Tuesday.

OREM — Blood, sweat and tears. As cliche as the phrase has become, it perfectly described the Utah All-Star Classic wrestling tournament at Utah Valley University on Tuesday night.

The tournament, which was prolonged by the large amount of injury time needed to address bloody noses, lips and brows, featured players leaving every last surge they had on the mats. It also featured surprising upsets, which not surprisingly left many who were defeated in tears.

Indeed, the annual tournament that features the premier wrestlers from all five classifications lived up to the hype. When all 36 matches had finished, the 4A classification, which entered as massive favorites behind powerhouse programs Maple Mountain and Box Elder, claimed top spot with a final tally of 36 points. Defending champion 3A tied with 5A for second place with 26 points apiece. The hybrid pairing of 1A/2A finished with 15 total points.

In the headlining battle between Maple Mountain’s Grant LaMont, commonly considered the top grappler in the state, and Box Elder’s Rasten Yeates went down to the wire. LaMont (152 pounds) agreed to wrestle in the higher weight classification (160 pounds) to face Yeates, and the decision proved worthy when he raised his arm victoriously with an 8-4 decision in the final match.

Another feature pairing matched Alta superstar Matt Findlay and Cedar superstar Dusty Hone — known competitive rivals and both two-time defending state champions. Findlay burst from the opening horn and cruised to a relatively easy win. If not for a late takedown in the third period, Findlay would have won the match in a landslide, but he ultimately claimed a 7-4 decision.

“That was the tiebreaker match,” Findlay said. “He was my only loss last year. I went 49-1 and then I beat him later in the season at nationals. We both have a lot of supporters in our background and there’s been some talk going and it felt good to put him down in what I felt was in a convincing manor.”

That battle was one of three featured matches throughout the night, but because it was the only one that paired wrestlers from different classifications, it was the only one to officially count for scoring purposes. The added pressure didn’t faze Findlay.

“I think I would have used to” worry about the added pressure, Findlay said. “I noticed that if I go out there nervous I screw myself up. I have to go out there totally relaxed and totally confident in myself. I didn’t feel any pressure. If I go out there and wrestle out there as hard as I can, win or lose, then I’ll feel good. That was not a perfect match for me."

Findlay, despite the rivalry, had nothing but high praise for Hone.

“That’s how you have to beat that kid,” he said. “He’s obviously really good on top — the best in the state on top in my opinion. He’s an incredible rider. I knew I had to beat him on my feet. I scrambled well. I moved well and took it to him. I had some nice shots and got the win.”

Good on Zach Dawe but let's take it easy on
"the bad Murray kid" comments. Howard won the Layton tournament, one of
the best tournaments in the state, was undefeated until that match and placed
second in state.
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Trevor Phibbs is a reporter who joined the Deseret News in 2008. He currently is the Weber State beat writer and also covers high school athletics and the Utah Blaze. Phibbs was raised in Sandy, Utah where he graduated more ..